Search - Berg, Webern, Kegel :: Orchestral Pieces

A contrary view

Thomas F. Dillingham | Columbia, Missouri USA | 04/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Herbert Kegel's performances of 20th century music are rightly admired for their clarity and dramatic power. This is especially true of his recordings of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron and Britten's War Requiem. His Beethoven cycle is also justly admired.



The performances of Webern's pieces on this disc are among the best I have ever heard, capturing the drama and the strangeness of the movements and pieces for orchestra, as well as the op. 21 symphony. Webern compressed a great deal into very brief movements; in these performances, they richly reward close attention.



The Berg pieces--brief excerpts from Wozzeck and from Lulu, are familiar concert pieces that derive from key moments in those two operas. What the previous reviewer can possibly mean by suggesting they are "soft" moments or lacking in dramatic power is certainly beyond me. It is true that they feature the one really weak link in these performances--the soprano, Hanne Lore Kuhse, is not ideal for Marie, though she is okay for the brief moment of Countess Geschwitz. But the vocal excerpts are so brief, and the orchestra plays its part so very well, that there is not much to complain about.



There is little point in arguing over musical taste, but the low rating from the previous reviewer for this recording is worse than ridiculous. Since he admits that he knows little about Berg or Webern (and his comments certainly illustrate great gaps), his best and fairest comment would have been something like "this doesn't appeal to me, but it might to others." But more important, a person who knows little about a recording should have the humility not to "rate" it at all. In fact, the sound quality is excellent, the orchestral playing and Kegel's conducting are first rate, and if Kuhse is not ideal, she is certainly competent. I would recommend this disc highly for the Webern, and with only slight reservation for the Berg. It deserves much better than a one-star rating."